In an ideal scenario, operators manage systems like conveyors and palletizers with flawless communication. There’s also a big enough headcount for every system on the line, and errors are relayed to teams who can fix them immediately.
The reality, however, looks much different. End-of-line operators often manage multiple systems on their own, with one app running on the pendant at a time. Switching between conveyor and palletizer apps, for example, means stopping the app and reloading everything. That downtime ultimately adds up.
That’s no longer the case at Vention, thanks to concurrent app support on Vention pendants. Learn why it’s important to empower factory workers with multi-app operation, how it impacts total output, and how Pack Expo 2026 attendees can get a first look at the new pendant interface.
What’s Changed in Factory App Operation
Running end-of-line apps often involves weeks of operator onboarding. Historically, operators had one app for each system. If someone had to change one line of code for one part of a machine, it required changing the code for that whole system. This meant pausing the application, resulting in downtime for that machine, and subsequently, the whole line.
Vention’s new pendant home page, however, works like your phone’s home screen. Users can install multiple apps, run them simultaneously on the floor, and switch between them from the pendant without changing code and disrupting production.
An Operator Day in the Life
Due to the increasing labor shortages across industrial sectors, it’s not uncommon for one operator to balance multiple systems at the packaging station. But at a Vention pendant, that sole operator could simultaneously run:
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The new Conveyor MachineApp
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The Palletizer MachineApp, or another turnkey machine
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The new Buzzer & Tower Light App
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The new MachineAnalytics App
And more. By empowering operators to seamlessly balance more from where they are, companies of all sizes feel less pressure from staff turnover and the widening labor gap.
Visibility, Uptime, and Scalability: What Concurrent Apps Look Like on the Floor
It’s one thing to enable an operator to be more efficient in their work, but running concurrent apps from a single pendant also creates a ripple effect across the business. Here are four ways it advances end-of-line operations.
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Operators are onboarded easily: Vention’s pendant home screen looks much like a phone’s. Each machine’s code is split into a dedicated app where users can drag and drop or click on buttons to edit a program. New operators learn to interact with each machine easily, and can run and observe machine programs and behaviors separately or together.
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Visibility for the whole line: MachineAnalytics can be run on the HMI, so an operator, shift lead, or other factory worker can check performance metrics like total uptime right from the machine. Trips to the desk to pull up a cloud dashboard eat into time spent on the floor, and facility manager questions about performance metrics can be addressed on site.
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Notifications and alerts provide team-wide status updates: The Buzzer & Tower Light App can run while the corresponding machine does, so alarms and lights follow the live machine state.
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Operate more than just a few stations: The Vention pendant and controller can run a production line, but can also expand to control multiple conveyors, palletizers, and turnkey machines at once. Operators can easily move between apps on the home screen whether it’s one simple machine or a large multi-line production area. This makes scaling production easier for operators who already balance all the right apps.
More Releases for Pack Expo 2026
Launching concurrent apps from the new pendant interface is the main platform release from Vention at Pack Expo 2026. But it’s one of many launches for the trade show. Additional launches include:
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New 24/7 video-based Remote Support: Users can now access Remote Support live video assistance with a Vention expert when they have MachineMotionAI and a subscription.
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New MachineAnalytics templates: Vention just launched MachineAnalytics templates for automated palletizers that come pre-built with performance, downtime, boxes-per-minute, and error metrics available in the cloud.
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Palletizer MachineApp code injection: Programmers and engineers can edit palletizer code themselves for greater customization or quick pivoting.
An Efficient End-Of-Line Starts With the Operators
An automated production line can only work as well as the operators behind the machines. At Vention, we take automation from concept to production to maintenance by building technology with people on the factory floor in mind. Businesses that value the same will find better uptime, stronger retention, and scalable systems.
Looking to run concurrent apps from your pendant? It starts with Vention’s AI-powered controller, MachineMotionAI.
